FURTHER INFO

National Designer Award finalist, Lois Hazel ...

Posted
on March 01, 2017

Lois Hazel was recently announced as
one of the finalists in the prestigious VAMFF National Designer Award for her eponymous womenswear label. I think it fitting recognition
and encouragement for Lois, who is about to release her gorgeous A/W
17 range ... and pounced upon the moment to 'take stock' with her via
a mini interview. Because this month's Insta theme is SLOW, I asked
Lois about both the evolution and future of her label, and whether or
not she relates to the concept of 'slow fashion'. I can hear Lois
smiling in her answers - thanks Lois!

Lois: I have never really thought
about "slow fashion" to be honest, but the more I look into
it, there are definitely similarities [to the way my label operates].
It’s actually a very timely question; right now, I’m looking at
the brand and thinking, where do I want to take my business? What
does the future look like? Do I want to be releasing four collections
a year with several drops a season - or do I want to do two or three
ranges a year, with limited runs, allowing pieces to sell out and
ensuring that my customers cherish their pieces. As of now, I have
only released two small collections a year and I do hope that, as I
grow, I can make these bigger ... but I never want to over produce. I
don’t want to oversaturate the market and create waste.

.. I'm definitely excited about
being nominated as a finalist for the VAMF National Designer Award.
It really is a huge compliment to be given the opportunity to present
my range, my business and my brand in front of such an influential
board, and amongst such an incredible array of designers. It gave me
the opportunity to look at my business and think about the 'now' but
also the future. I know this opportunity has opened up some doors ...

There has been a lot of ground work in
getting to this point. I don’t know if 'slow' is how I would
describe the process of building my brand... I don’t know if it’s
been slow, fast or in between! It’s definitely been a roller
coaster - so many ups and downs - sometimes it’s sped through
corners and other times it’s taken time going up the hills.

I think about the future of the label a
lot - probably too much sometimes. It can be quite scary thinking
about all the investments you’ve made into your brand and
wondering, will they pay off? Was that the right move? And so on. But
then it’s also super rewarding and exciting when things happen like
being a finalist in the VAMFF National Designer Award, or bumping into
a customer wearing one of your pieces and hearing how much they love
it. You get this boost to keep working towards seeing your brand
grow. I do hope that one day Lois Hazel will be a recognized
Australian brand, both here and internationally - a brand that helps
create a more sustainable and ethical industry, that gets people
thinking about where they get their clothes from and who made them.